Inside Baseball: Tulo needs to go and here are the options; Plus MLB news – CBSSports.com

Someone needs to take charge in Colorado and do the right thing. And that, quite obviously now, is to trade franchise shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

This soap opera without a satisfying ending has been going on long enough already.

One minute the Tulowitzki camp is wondering aloud whether he wants a trade. The next, he is saying that, no, he really doesn’t want to go, after all.

This sort of thing has been going on in various forms for months, years even. Tulo has been on the fence, seemingly forever.

At this point it seems like a never-ending dance between nice guy superstar Tulowitzki and nice guy Rockies owner Dick Monfort. They have been constants in the long-running nice-guy drama, them and the losing, which also has continued unabated.

Neither Tulowitzki nor Monfort appears to want to look like the bad guy, the one to break up the marriage between franchise player and franchise. So the marriage of convenience goes on, seemingly endlessly.

Tulo actually does badly “burn to win,” according to someone who knows him well, and it’s hard to argue that. He’s a beast on the field. Folks who know him also suggest that he relishes the spotlight, and furthermore, that he would love New York best. One person who knows him well said, “He’s owed a bunch of money, but he’d play to that number in New York.”

Everyone who knows him says similar things. But they also seem to think he cares a little too much about how it all looks.

Perhaps the true reality is that Tulowitzki wants to be traded. But only if he gets to go to the perfect team, or a close facsimile — he is said to favor the Yankees, Giants, Dodgers and Angels. And only if he isn’t the one instigating the trade.

And especially only if he isn’t the one who comes off looking like the bad guy who wants to leave Denver.

That’s really the key. Tulo is the king of positive press, and he doesn’t want to abdicate.

Tulowitzki is an extremely talented player and a very nice, non-confrontational fellow. And there’s every reason to believe that he loves Denver, Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, every last one of them.

But he doesn’t have a no-trade clause, and he shouldn’t be driving this bus. And it all has to stop now.

He shouldn’t get to meet about whether he wants to leave, then declare everything is great, and oh by the way, he’s all in for the Rockies.

Whatever Tulowitzki may want this moment or next, it is clear to anyone with any baseball sense that the Rockies need to do something drastic with their roster. As much as the Phillies need to trade Cole Hamels, the Rockies absolutely have to trade their best player.

And beyond that, he needs to go elsewhere, for his own sake. Someone close to him said he believes Tulo is distracted and divided by all the trade talk, and of course he is. Although he starts some of the trade talk himself (his camp did so in this case), it has turned into a circus at this point.

The Rockies seem to specialize in this PR-conscious type of player, and no one ever calls them on it. But in the end, this does no one any good.

This is almost like a repeat of just before the 2007 season, when longtime Rockies star Todd Helton very quietly suggested he wanted to be traded, but ultimately is said to have lost interest in a deal to the Red Sox for three players, including Mike Lowell. Had Helton accepted the deal, he might have had a winning World Series ring (coincidentally, Boston beat Colorado that year in the Series, with Lowell as MVP), and the Rockies would have rid themselves of an aging first baseman with a bloated contract. Instead, he stayed. And ultimately, it wasn’t good for anyone.

Except maybe Boston.

In this case, Tulowitzki’s agent Paul Cohen told the New York Post‘s Joel Sherman several days ago that Tulo might request a trade — like Tulo, Cohen is a very nice guy, but someone has to play the bad guy, so of course it has to be the agent. So Tulo and Cohen met, and Tulowitizki decided he wants to stay after all. And oh by the way, he’s fully committed to helping the Rockies win.

That’s nice to hear. But the reality is that it’s time to end this never-ending dance. It’s nice for someone, whether it be Tulowitzki or Rockies owner Dick Monfort, to stand up and do the right thing. It’s time for someone to stand up and be the adult.

Reality check time.

Even if it’s possible to become fully committed after pondering a trade for the umpteenth time, the Rockies are just not very good. Actually, they are very likely terrible. Even if Tulo, who’s hitting .289 through 31 games as a healthy but very likely distracted player, is committed to making them a winner, there is no reason to think it can be done. At least not while he’s still at the top of his game and the peak of his health.

This may not be the Rockies’ fault. The altitude in Denver is the Rubik’s Cube of baseball, and it may be almost unsolvable by mere mortals.

What is their fault is the way they’ve let Tulo run the show.

Dick Monfort, like Tulo a heckuva nice guy, never wants to be the bad guy, either.

So instead he looks like a nice fellow who’s not a particularly good owner.

There’s such a thing is staying the course too much. And the Rockies under the Monforts are the poster children for this sorry stratagem: Yes, we are awful. But we can’t take the chance of becoming even worse.

It seems the Rockies-owning Monfort brothers would rather lose perennially than risk trading the beloved Tulowitzki, even when everyone else seems to know it’s the right thing to do. Ex-GM Dan O’Dowd proposed it years ago, and you have to assume new GM Jeff Bridich, a serious Harvard man who has plenty of sense, must understand that’s the right thing to do, too.

Bridich isn’t talking publicly about the Tulo situation (more evidence of his good sense). But he spent a good part of the winter fielding offers for Tulo and Carlos Gonzalez. So it seems he gets it, too.

Bridich may have been wasting his time. Rockies ownership never seems to want to rebuild or reboot, even when it’s painfully obvious that’s what’s needed, and has been needed for years. The Rockies just ended their 11-game losing streak Thursday night on a dramatic home run at Dodger Stadium by Carlos Gonzalez, another guy who probably needs to be traded once he truly gets going. But they already appear well on their way to burying themselves in the NL West.

Tulo is a terrific player, but no one player can save this Rockies mess. They’ve needed real change for a few years now, not more of the same. The last thing they need to do is stay the course. Again.

The Rockies need to opt for change, and they need to do it soon. Tulowitzki doesn’t have a no-trade clause but he becomes a 10-and-5 player next year. The Rockies can’t let him get to that point because then they are truly stuck. Now they just act like they are.

Bridich, who has seen this long-running dance for years as an assistant in the front office, tried to shop Tulowitzki all winter, tried to come up with a trade that could make some sense, and makes everyone happy. But it’s understandable why the Rockies weren’t able to get much over the winter for Tulo, as he needed to get back on the field to play first. He needed to show he is recovered from the hip ailment and subsequent surgery. And he has done that now.

Maybe it won’t be much easier now that teams have spent their money and set their lineups. But he and they need to try.

The Rockies need to trade Tulo. They don’t need to take his temperature, his pulse, or anything else.

He can talk aloud about whether he might want to be dealt. But the Rockies are the ones with the cards. At least now they are.

If ownership wants to continue to compete to see who’s the nicest guy in this never-ending derby they can try first to trade him to his believed-to-be favored Yankees, Dodgers, Giants or Angels first. But one person who knows him thought he might ultimately be amenable to the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals and some others, too.

Though, of course, who knows? There have been so many months, and years really, of hemming followed by hawing, it’s hard to know exactly what he wants.

But really, why should the Rockies worry about that? Their ownership obligation should be to all their players, and all their fans, not to one fine and lovely player who can’t seem to make up his mind.

The Rockies do need to be reasonable in their dealing, of course, and possibly also creative. Tulowitzki is a terrific talent, but he’s over 30 now, he has $114 million through 2020, and top prospects are getting to be so harder and harder to come by, to the point where almost no one but Billy Beane is willing to consider giving them up.

The Rockies may not get their exact asking price, said by one rival last winter to be three good prospects for Tulo, with no money to mitigate Tulo’s contract. But it should be clear now Colorado can’t stay the course.

Some Rockies people do seem to be living in something of a dream world lately, and they need to snap out of it. Some Rockie folks have been talking aloud recently about needing to do the little things better to win some of these games.

Reality check: They just lost 11 in a row. They have posted no better than a .457 winning percentage five years running, counting this one so far. The idea that they can compete with the Dodgers and Giants and Padres without some major alterations is nothing more than a fairy tale for now. No amount of commitment to the current plan is going to change things.

No, no number of little things is going to add up to make this team a winner.

This team needs to do big things to have a chance.

And the first big thing they have to do is to trade Tulo.

The next question is: Where? Here is a rundown of the logical landing spots:

1. Nationals: GM Mike Rizzo has at different times made it clear to Colorado that they’d want to be involved if Tulowitzki talk really got serious, and Nats starter Ian Desmond is months from free agency. Washington likely wouldn’t want to part with top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito, but they also have A.J. Cole, Reynaldo Lopez, Erick Fedde and Joe Ross. They are also known for pulling surprises.

2. Red Sox: The lineup isn’t the problem, and if they do trade top kids, you have to think it would be for starting pitching. But they’ve talked to the Rockies about Tulowitzki in the past, and current shortstop Xander Bogaerts would be a nice start toward a reasonable package. They also have young pitching in Henry Owens, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brian Johnson.

3. Yankees: The Yankees had some interest this winter, but the conversation apparently was very brief. They are not short of prospects now, with young pitcher Luis Severino, powerful slugger Aaron Judge and others, they haven’t convincingly replaced the iconic Derek Jeter yet (Didi Gregorius hasn’t hit to this point) and Tulo would love to man the spot where his idol Jeter played for 20 years.

4. Mets: The Rockies tried hard this winter to engage the Mets, and at one time there was allegedly at least a bit of long-shot talk of a deal that would have possibly involved Noah Syndergaard. Though at this point, Syndergaard seems close to untouchable, Steven Matz is almost as close to untouchable (team higher-ups love the idea of a cost-effective quartet of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Syndergaard and Matz leading the rotation next year), and they still like Wilmer Flores, who’s looking serviceable, at shortstop. “Not interested,” came the word from one Mets connected person. While they could use an offensive influx, they have mostly refrained from monster deals in recent years, aren’t seen as major risk takers and are much more likely to hope the returning David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud do the trick. Not too likely.

5. Padres: San Diego is looking for a shortstop and aggressive new GM A.J Preller will be tied to anyone who moves now. But word is, the teams aren’t really a great match. San Diego traded Matt Wisler for Craig Kimbrel and may be running short of pitching depth, unless they would trade off their major-league team.

6. Angels: The Angels seek offense, and Tulo would represent that. They also saved $20 million when they unloaded Josh Hamilton. Tulo went to Long Beach State, which is down the road, where he was teammates with fellow L.B. State Dirtbag Jered Weaver. So he would be fine with it. But says an Angels connected person: “Not a fit.”

7 Cardinals: They’ve shown interest before (they actually discussed trading for him a few years back, for Matt Adams and Shelby Miller), Matt Holliday is a close friend and major supporter and they have young pitching (Carlos Martinez, Alex Reyes, etc.) but realistically, if they are to make a deal, one would have to think it might be for a veteran pitcher to replace Adam Wainwright. Jhonny Peralta has turned out to be a decent signing at shortstop and they have Matt Carpenter for third. Long shot now.

8. Dodgers: The Dodgers this winter suggested offering a package that included Matt Kemp and others but justifiably wouldn’t part with top prospects Corey Seager, Joc Pederson or Julio Urias, who LA views as off limits. Kemp would have been only a start (LA obviously understood Tulo is the better player), and maybe there could have been a chance to flip Kemp elsewhere, as the Dodgers eventually did . But Kemp is gone, Jimmy Rollins is at short, Seager looks closer than ever and the Dodgers are covered at third with a terrific quartet. In other words, not too likely.

9. Mariners: Seattle touched base with the Rockies on Tulo within the last year or so hasn’t completely solved shortstop (the defensively solid Chris Taylor has taken over for Brad Miller, who struggled earlier), the Mariners surely wouldn’t surrender either of Taijuan Walker or James Paxton, the obvious Rockies targets and aren’t believed to have a lot of extra spending money left over from the winter anyway.

10. Cubs: The Cubs have plenty of quality young shortstops and haven’t been connected to Tulo to this point, but potentially they could spin one of them to Colorado. They also have plenty of money, but the real need would be an arm or two now, not yet another shortstop.

11. Diamondbacks: Nick Ahmed is a defensive whiz as a shortstop, but he’s hitting .153. Arizona’s new regime seems to do some interesting things. Of course, it looks like the D-Backs need pitching almost as badly as the Rockies. So it doesn’t seem like a match here between rivals.

More Inside Baseball…

	Arizona has the top pick in next month’s amateur draft, and while the consensus top choices are thought to be UC Santa Barbara pitcher Dillon Tate, Lake Mary (Fla.) shortstop Brendan Rodgers (people around the game don’t believe he’s on Arizona’s radar, though) and Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson. However, the Diamondbacks are outside-the-box thinkers and may go elsewhere. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs reported the D-Backs are considering other high school stars who might consider lower bonuses, which could save the D-Backs money for bigger bonuses for their following picks at No. 43 and 76. According to McDaniel, those players would include Kennesaw Mountain (Atlanta, Ga.) catcher Tyler Stephenson, Niskayuna (N.Y.) center fielder Garrett Whitley and center fielder Daz Cameron, son of Mike. Cameron has drawn more interest from others in the top 10 and is being advised by Scott Boras, so a cut-rate deal may be less likely for him … One unusual stat for Arizona is that while they’ve had only three losing seasons since 2007, and only one season with a payroll out of the bottom third, they’ve had four managers and four general managers … Wow, Nick Ahmed is some kind of shortstop.
	Veteran lefthander Mike Minor had a long-term labrum irregularity from past exams, though doctors weren’t quite sure what was causing his discomfort until they got in there Thursday. Minor is now out for the year after a labrum tear was repaired … The Braves are set up nicely in the draft, with three picks in the top 41, four in the top 54, five in the top 75 and six in the top 89.
	The Cubs look like at least a wild card contender, but the bullpen is a question. Rafael Soriano wouldn’t be the worst idea for them, and they may consider him. They got eight-inning starts from Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel in the Mets series, so they were able to go straight to closer Hector Rondon. But they could use some help in the seventh and eighth innings … Cubs people were said to be all over Mets minor-league teams, adding to the months-long speculation of a possible deal between Chicago, which has great positional prospects, and the Mets, who have great pitching prospects. Chicago is believed to like hard-throwing Syndergaard, who lost his MLB debut at Wrigley Tuesday … Kris Bryant is wowing folks with more than just great power, which he’s known for. He’s shown versatility, hustle (he beat out an infield grounder to third vs. the Mets), decent speed and the perfect attitude. As for the power, a competing GM says he’ll hit 40 bombs annually.
	The move of Carlos Rodon to the rotation, combined with better pitching expected from one-two punch Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija gives the White Sox reason to hope they can get into the tough AL Central race… Jose Abreu has switched agents, hiring Diego Bentz and Fern Cuza of Relativity, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo reported. Abreu at one time had the highest deal for a Cuban at $68 million for six years, since surpassed by Rusney Castillo and Yasmany Tomas. One nice plus his former agents – Barry Praver and Scott Shapiro – got into his contract is that he can opt for arbitration once eligible, which should boost his pay. Considering what a star he is, that is advantageous … Former Chisox outfielder Dayan Viciedo has hired back Scott Boras as his agent.
	Devin Mesoraco (hip impingement) will DH in the upcoming games against A.L. competition, and is expected to test his hip by trying to catch shortly thereafter. He is hoping to get through the year, then have hip surgery after the season. But if catching brings intense pain, he still may need to get the surgery in-season. The surgery requires four months rehab so his season would effectively be over should he require the operation … Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake are pitching extremely well at the top of the rotation and are one-two in the league in innings pitched. Anthony DeSclafani has been very good, too, and rookies Rasiel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen are showing promise, so their rotation looks a lot better now than it did in spring. Lorenzen, a two-way player at Cal-State Fullerton, can hit, too, giving the Reds two of the game’s best hitting pitchers, along with Leake … However, the Reds’ top pitching prospects, Robert Stephenson and Nick Howard, are having control problems as of late, a particular issue since the ace Cueto and Leake are free agents after the year. Stephenson, who has a dynamic fastball and breaking ball, was “up, up, up” in his last start and has 22 walks in 28 2/3 innings at Triple-A Pensacola, according to the scout. But that’s nothing compared to Howard, the first-round pick who one scout suggested may have the yips. He has 22 walks in just 18 2/3 innings at Class-A Daytona. Howard was a strong two-way player who relieved at the University of Virginia, so he could have alternatives if starting doesn’t turn out to be his thing.
	Defending Cy Young winner Corey Kluber was too polite to say anything, but some close to him believe his early struggles were related to missing Yan Gomes, the highly underrated Indians catcher who has been out. That didn’t seem to be an issue Wednesday, though, when Kluber struck out 18 and allowed one hit vs. the good-hitting Cardinals team in of the best pitching performances in decades.
	Closer Adam Ottavino had perfect season going (0.00) ERA when he had to have Tommy John surgery. It was performed by James Andrews. Since relievers can come back in eight or 10 months, he could be back at the start of 2016 … All-underrated team: D.J. Lemahieu.
	It would be a surprise if Houston played for Cole Hamels, whose annual salary of $24 million is about half what the Astros‘ total payrolls sunk to in recent lowly years. Two names with Texas ties to keep an eye on for Houston, should they become available, are Scott Kazmir (a Houston native) and Clay Buchholz. Kyle Lohse, who’s been mentioned before in this space, has ties to GM Jeff Luhnow from St. Louis days, for what it’s worth … A.J. Hinch looks like an early Manager of the Year. One executive cited the “great culture” he’s developing already … The guess of one Astros person is that top Houston prospect (and maybe the top MLB prospect) Carlos Correa could be up “within three weeks,” which is close to what was predicted here last week and could spare them Super Two status for Correa … Lance McCullers Jr. is beating high expectations, as he looks like he has top-of-the-rotation potential. He was a prep stud in the Tampa area, but many scouts saw him as closer material. Now one scout says he sees an ace, due to “moxie and more feel for secondary pitches.” … Jake Marisnick is “the best center fielder in baseball,” one rival scout says, citing Peter Bourjos as the one most comparable. (My take: Mike Trout isn’t too bad, either.)
	GM Dayton Moore, whose team has ridden its great pen and defense (with improved hitting) to a playoff position again, deserves an extension. He has two years to go on his deal, which being that it’s the Royals you know it’s at an under-market rate. Small world dept: I covered Moore when he was the shortstop with the Moline Maroons and I was a Cub reporter with the Moline (Ill.) Dispatch, in 1985. Yes, a few years ago.
	It makes sense the Angels seek offense. They saved a bit of money with the Josh Hamilton trade, and have issues in left field and at DH. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register identified Ben Revere as one possibility, though that doesn’t sound like a way to replace Hamilton … Huston Street is an absolute bargain at $18 million guaranteed over two years and an option. The third-year option is for $10 million, with a $1 million buyout, so he can max out at $27 million. While that’s far less than half what David Robertson got, and less than half what Andrew Miller got, Street is a highly successful businessman in Austin, Texas, too. His dad James Street, the quarterback of the 1969 national champion University of Texas team, started the real estate business, and Huston has kept it going. Both Streets also pitched at Texas, with Huston winning a National Championship in baseball.
	With Hector Olivera due to arrive in L.A. Thursday night, then take his physical and finalize his $62.5-million deal Friday, the Dodgers will have a quartet of excellent third baseman, including holdovers Juan Uribe, Alex Guerrero and Justin Turner. With Guerrero having an opt out in his contract if traded (“he’s more valuable to the Dodgers than anyone else,” one rival said, referring to the clause that stipulates he can opt out of his deal at the end of the season if he is traded) and Turner turning into a versatile magician in L.A., Uribe seems like the most logical trade candidate … The Dodgers’ depth is amazing, with Scott Van Slyke, son of former Pirates/Cardinals great Andy, turning into a terrific asset, as well as Turner and Guerrero … Andre Ethier got a bum rap for nicely accepting his role as a part-time player last year, but he’s shown he has plenty left now that he has a chance to play. The Orioles are said to have been the only team to engage Los Angeles at all on Ethier, and they wanted L.A. to pay most of the money left … Los Angeles is saying Yasiel Puig will miss significant time after suffering a setback on his return from hamstring trouble. But Puig himself is said to feel better than the picture shows, and is hoping to resume playing as soon as a week from now. Self diagnosis isn’t always reliable, but sometimes it is … Manager Don Mattingly is earning raves from his new bosses for his handling of people … Righthanded pitching prospect Jose De Leon is rising on boards. Big arm. De Leon (3-1, 1.69) has 50 strikeouts against only six walks pitching for High-A Rancho Cucamonga … Yasmani Grandal is 17-7 in his starts, which is even better when you consider that A.J. Ellis mainly catching ace Clayton Kershaw … And by the way, there’s no better way to waste time than to worry about Kershaw. I once did that, when he was a rookie, and it resulted in one of my alltime dumbest tweets. Big mistake. Some have suggested that teams are being more aggressive earlier in counts against Kershaw, so he may just need to make a small adjustment. No one should bet against him.
	The Marlins were apparently trying to bottom feed with Soriano and reportedly pulled back after that (via the Miami Herald and MLB.com). But it’s worth keeping an eye on, in case … Adeiny Hechavarria and Dee Gordon are a continuous highlight reel.
	The Brewers are playing better under Craig Counsell, but they still look like a likely seller. Kyle Lohse, a free agent after the year, is a natural to go (though they love him as a clubhouse guy). The team also seems especially interested in moving Matt Garza, rivals report, and Garza has two more years left.
	Top outfield prospect Byron Buxton could be up sometime in August … Torii Hunter looks as youthful as ever. And in fact his stats are nearly identical to his career marks. His slash line of .280/.320/.466/.786 is almost a mirror of his career mark of .279/.334/.465/.798. While Hunter said he considered retirement after finishing the 2014 season with the Tigers, and the return to his original team made others wonder whether that meant this was his last hurrah, Hunter, who turns 40 this summer, doesn’t seem to have lost a thing. So don’t be surprised if he plays another year.
	The Yankees look a lot better than many/most expected, thanks to some good dealing and some better bounce-back years. But shortstop Didi Gregorius, though, is one new Yankee who’s starting slow. It’s probably worth watching how patient they are with him …… Gregorius has one thing in common with the legend he replaced. He hired Jeter’s old agent, Casey Close, to represent him … Hats off to Michael Pineda, who worked hard this winter and appears in much better shape than usual. While he missed almost two years, this looks like a great deal for GM Brian Cashman. Jesus Montero, who went to Seattle in the deal (or really Tacoma) is hitting decently lately, but remains in the minors. (As for Montero’s favorite scout, Butch Baccala remains out of baseball, and according to a friend who’s seen his Facebook page, has said he is selling used cars. For the record, again, he sent an ice cream helmet to Montero, not an ice cream sandwich. Big difference … Aaron Judge has light-tower power. One home run recently reminded scouts of a Giancarlo Stanton drive. “It had similar exit velocity,” one scout surmised … The Jacoby Ellsbury–Brett Gardner combo has been a dynamic duo at the top of the Yankees’ lineup, leading to a sport-high 36 runs. Makes you wonder whether that should have been the one-two punch last year … Yankees have opening acts, and closing acts. Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller comprise one of the top two back-of-the-bullpen combos … Jorge Posada‘s making some salient points on his book tour, I think. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was probably kept too long starting catcher when Posada was a prospect, never should have batted him 9th. Maybe he didn’t deserve the royal Derek Jeter treatment. But 9th? No way.
	The Mets are going to be patient with Flores, who they like. Others see him as an excellent utility player, but they view him as a solid defender who provides some pop at shortstop … Wright is back to resting his back but there’s still some hope he can be back in a week, or perhaps a little more … Other teams suggest that while they see Syndergaard as untouchable, there’s a little hope (at least on the part of others) the Mets might trade Matz. That doesn’t seem likely though … Bartolo Colon has been brilliant. “Our Picasso,” Mets owner Jeff Wilpon called him … Scouts are also saying positive things about the Mets’ pitching throughout their organization, even after Syndergaard and Matz, the Long Island lefthander. Three names to remember pitching at Double-A Binghamton are Gabriel Ynoa, Luis Cessa and Matt Koch … Gavin Cecchini, a former No. 1 pick, is also making progress. Some wondered if he’d wind up being a utility player. But one scout, noting how smart a player he is, called him a “J.J. Hardy type.” High praise … Time for the Mets to pick up Terry Collins’ $1.2-million ’16 option. One rival exec opined, “He’s done as good as job as anyone with what he’s had to work with.”
	Aaron Harang, who’s having another surprising season, could be another trade candidate for the Phillies … Great to see alltime good guy Jeff Francoeur back in the game, and in his rightfield outfield spot, to boot … Jonathan Papelbon became the second man to hold two franchise records for career saves (Phillies 113, Red Sox 219), according to MLB Network. Robb Nen (Giants 206, Marlins 108) is the other. Trivia: Had Robert Allen Nen gone by the moniker Bob, his name would have been comprised of two palindromes. Pap also is a palindrome, of course.
	Some believe the Pirates may start looking around for a shortstop, with Jordy Mercer struggling. But Korean import Jung-ho Kang is right there and would seem to be an option … Josh Harrison turned himself into a special player last year, but seems to be suffering the post-contract malady that strikes many.
	San Diego would be interested in Jean Segura if he were to become available. Though, as was stated here last week(link to brewers inside baseball), that’s one of two players Milwaukee least wants to move in the probability they do sell. San Diego likes its shortstop Alexi Amarista, but as a utiltyman. The Padres’ rebuilt outfield has generally performed well (though Kemp is slumping) but their infield remains a question.
	Nelson Cruz, currently one RBI shy of Triple Crown position, may turn out to be the best free agent signing two straight years – though he signed for $58 million over four years, or $50 million more than he signed with the Orioles for … Mike Zunino is said to be feeling much better at the plate lately, though some wonder whether he will ever hit for average. That could be a huge boost, as Cruz needs some help.
	John Lackey is building an impressive resume. He’s been a starting pitcher for two World Series winners (2002 Angels, 2013 Red Sox) and now he’s in rotation for the Cardinals, who currently have baseball’s best record … The Cardinals seemingly never sign a bad deal, and Matt Holliday, who has the biggest contract in team history ($120 million, seven years), is still extremely productive. He has reached base in an MLB best 31 straight games, though had to leave the last game after being hit in the elbow by a Kluber fastball.
	Rookie manager Kevin Cash is off to an impressive start, weathering all sorts of pitching injuries. Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly are now out. One piece of positive news: Matt Moore is expected back in June … It’s amazing what Tampa has done with pitching, and while there have been many key changes, one constant has been pitching coach Jim Hickey. At this point, he should probably be considered in the elite among pitching coaches … Brad Boxberger, the hard-throwing righty strikeout artist (12.7 per nine innings over his career) who’s been closing games, is 10 for 10 in saves. It’ll be interesting to see what they do after Jake McGee returns.
	Shin-Soo Choo can’t leave the leadoff spot. He seems to be cured since moving back to that spot, and has a 14-game hitting streak. He hit .096 in April, .and is hitting 345 in May.
	Yunel Escobar has two of the four five-hit games in MLB this year and is earning raves in Washington. He wanted out of Oakland, as Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reported. The reason? He prefers to be on the East Coast … Michael Taylor looks like a budding star … Putting aside his mini-slump for a second, Stephen Strasburg was still said to have remained annoyed he was held out of the 2012 postseason for a couple years afterward. He’s that kind of competitor. Now he’s pitching through back trouble.